BRIBERY IS A BAD HABIT

News Article

I am particularly motivated to
produce this article contingent upon a symposium organized by the
Anti-Corruption Commission titled ‘Bribery in Sierra Leone: the Causes,
Effects, Solutions and Implications for the Agenda for Change’. More
importantly the academics and media pundits that made presentations on this
topic interestedly stimulated me. I resonate with their views. These scholars boldly
untie the notion of bribery as it relates to society, concernedly draw parallel
as to whether it is part of our habit or
culture, passionately compare Sierra Leone of old with Sierra Leone of new, and
thoughtfully float radical solutions as to how this country can break from the
contagion of bribery. For Dr. Omodele
Jones, he sees bribery as a societal and not an individual problem. His thought
is informed by the standpoint that Sierra Leone as a nation had once existed
within the frame of a society characterized by rule of law, by values, and by
morals. Sierra Leone used to have a port far more transparent in its dealings,
where less or no extortionate fees were charged. Dr. Jones, I reason, tries to
juxtapose Sierra Leone of 70 years ago with Sierra Leone of today. The gem of West
Africa. This gem, he holds, is a society today where the dominant political,
social, and economic sphere is indicative of a form of societal madness called
societal cynicism that has affected the cultural values. Societal cynicism, he
espouses, is viewed in the fact that people view life negatively, people
exploit and mistrust others, and people place low emphases on high performance.
This problem can only be tackled targeting society and not the individual, he
argues. His thinking, I understand, frowns at piecemeal approach to addressing
societal problems. But his disposition
however is coterminous with the approach the ACC is applying in the fight
against corruption. The ACC’s approach, intrinsically eclectic, is informed by
its National Anti-Corruption Strategy, which guides the Commission’s fight of
the cankerworm. We will revert to this later.

I find pleasure in Francis Sowa’
(lecturer at FBC) presentation, maintaining that the notion of bribery is a bad
habit and is not part of our culture as Sierra Leoneans. For him bribery is a
bad habit; a settled and regular conduct difficult to give up. Whereas culture
is a way of life; it characterizes the language, religion, and art of a
particular group of people. Culture is collective; habit is personal; therefore,
bribery cannot be part of our culture but a bad habit left unchecked for years,
he argues. We can readily find wisdom in Sowa’s point of view and attempt to
look for symmetry in that of Dr. Jones’. According to him, Sierra Leone used to
have a rich culture marked by high morals – a culture whose value-system was
commended by foreign merchants. I believe that gradually, over a long period of
time, Sierra Leoneans, as a society and as a people, have cultivated bad habits,
as attitude pattern pronounced in our behaviour, which are firmly fixed into the
base of our culture and therefore now produce streams of far-reaching vices of
which bribery is one. The good elements within our culture that used to bind us
together have been excessively suppressed and profoundly overtaken by urgent
social factors that deepen competition, instill hate, ignite personal
aggrandizement, undermine patriotism and encourage corruption.

At the symposium though all four
presenters praise the agenda for prosperity document but call on government to
factor into it the fight against corruption. Umaru Fofana, (Editor, Politico)
adduces that the fight against corruption will make headway when it is pursued
more vigorously, more generously and more sincerely. Countenancing the argument
surrounding morality and value-system, Fofana posits that the solution to
fighting corruption can be where public officials do what is right, the public
resist what is wrong, and institutions set up to fight corruption do so more
vigorously.

At this point, I wish to draw your
attention to the approach ACC employs in the fight against corruption and
attempt to synchronize it with Dr. Jones’ thinking for a holistic method in the
fight. The ACC has three-pronged approach: prevention, education and
prosecution. Within a broader framework, society is disaggregated into pillars,
and the three approaches are applied to theses pillars to cure incidence of
corruption or to educate or prevent corruption before it breaks out. The
pillars provide a clear picture of who the target for public education on
corruption is, and as well identify the weaknesses and gaps in the public
sector that are corruption breeding-ground. For example, the legislature, as a
pillar, has its strength and weakness and in some instance this weakness can be
an avenue for corruption. Weak capacity to perform oversight functions breeds
poor service delivery in the public sector that will undoubtedly impinge on the
economy. Raising awareness through customized meetings, seminars and academic
presentations on parliamentary oversight functions can reposition and prepare
parliamentarians to perform oversight in a bid to close up potential corruption
spot. The ACC and its partners have been very active in this drive. A number of
public and private institutions including the media, NGOs and CBOs are partners
with the Commission, pooling resources, sharing information, coordinating
personnel, and implementing programmes towards eradicating the menace.
Eradicating corruption is a process, and in an informed society, where every
unit plays its part, where the public report corrupt practices, where
government officials reject bribery, the fight against corruption can be worn. Dr. Jones, Sowa and Fofana can be described
as avid in their presentations in accentuating the path to prosperity for
Sierra Leone – a destination that can be reached when we all are serious to
holding accountable the corrupt, to naming the corrupt, and to shaming the
corrupt.